15 Secret Ways We Save Money on Flights

Booking flights can be one of the biggest travel expenses—but it doesn’t have to be! We’re sharing our best insider tips (including little-known tricks we personally use) to help you score the cheapest flights and save big on airfare.

There is something super satisfying about clicking the “purchase now” button on an incredibly cheap flight.

Now you have an adventure to look forward to, and you saved a lot of money (that you can put toward mojitos on the beach or an epic experience like skydiving!). But how do you find these super cheap flights people are bragging about all over the internet?

After years of traveling to over 50 countries—often on a tight budget—we’ve learned a thing or two about scoring incredible flight deals. From playing the credit card points game to last-minute mistake fares, we’ve tested just about every trick in the book.

We’ve also made plenty of mistakes along the way and wound up paying way more than we intended in added fees or simply just booking a more expensive flight than we needed to. 

While there isn’t an exact science that works every time, we’re going to share some practical tips and creative hacks that have helped us find amazing deals on airfare all around the world.

Let’s dive in…

→ Related Reading: Traveling on a budget is much more than simply finding a cheap flight. We’ve broken down exactly how we afford to travel and are sharing our top tips you can use too!

1. Be flexible (when possible)

The best possible way to get dirt cheap flights is to be flexible with both your dates AND your destination.

This is how a lot of people get those seems-to-good-to-be-true fares!

Destination: On the homepage of Google Flights, click on “Explore Destinations” to see fares for cities all around the world for a variety of dates. This will help you find the absolute best deals.

We all know this isn’t always possible. Sometimes you have a specific destination in mind.

Dates: It’s a good practice to see what departing and returning 1 or 2 days earlier/later will do to the price (sometimes it can save you a ton!). But you may not always have a flexible timeline to work with.

If you can’t be flexible, don’t fret! There are other ways to save money on flights.

These next tips should help you out…

2. Compare, compare, compare!

Always use an aggregate platform (we use Google Flights) to compare costs of all airlines to your chosen destination. 

These platforms act like a search engine for flights and allow you to compare prices across multiple airlines in seconds. Instead of checking each airline’s website individually, you can see all your options in one place—making it easier to spot the best deals.

You can filter by airline, number of layovers, flight duration, and even track prices over time. 

Pro tip: Once you find a great deal on Google Flights, book directly with the airline whenever possible. This makes it easier to manage your booking and deal with any changes or cancellations. (Trust us – we’ve made the mistake of booking with a 3rd party before and it’s come back to bite us!)

Interesting to know: Did you know that clearing your cache or opening an incognito window won’t make any difference when searching for cheap flights? We used to do this all the time, but we’ve recently learned this makes no difference at all.

3. Get alerted of those CRAZY GOOD deals

Along with tip #1 on this list, this is THE BEST way to score cheap flights.

You know when your cousin’s friend’s husband shares on social media that his round trip business class flights to London only cost $357? Well, chances are THIS IS HOW HE DID IT.

Sometimes there are accidents when airlines post a price for a specific journey. These are called “mistake fares”. Other times, there are rare promotions for certain journeys.

However, unless you’re sitting behind a laptop for hours on end, comparing every single flight on every single airline to every single destination, you will miss these “unicorn fares”.

Luckily, there is software that does all the research for you. In order to be alerted of those too-good-to-be-true tickets, you need to ​sign up for a mistake fare newsletter​.

You’ll get an email when a great flight deal becomes available.

There are a lot of mistake fare newsletters out there, so where do you even start? Well, we’ve tested a lot of them over the years (6, to be exact!), and we have a clear favorite…

​Daily Drop Pro​

There is both a free version and a paid version.

If you’re not sure you want to commit, ​the free newsletter​ is a good place to start. However, the paid version is so much more powerful and has a lot of ways to customize the deals you see.

If you’re really committed to saving money on flights this year, we highly recommend ​Daily Drop Pro​. We are seriously blown away by some of the new features it offers.

Rule of thumb: If you take at least one flight per year, the membership cost will pretty much pay for itself. 

4. Book at the right time (don’t wait until the last min!)

Booking too early or too late can mean you’ll overpay for flights.

We’ve learned the hard way and waited a bit too long on some flights. And we’ve never found a good last-minute deal. We often get the same flight we were originally looking at, but the price tag is a bit steeper.

To have the best chance of snagging your flights at a good price, this is a general rule we try to stick to:

• Domestic: 1-3 months in advance
• International: 3-5 months in advance 

5. Consult the price graphs

This is a good way to see if the current prices are average or high.

It’s not the end-all, be-all, but it can let you know if now is a good time to snatch that ticket up or if you should wait and monitor it for a while.

Busting a myth…

❌ MYTH: Always purchase flights on a Tuesday: There was a well-known rumor that Tuesday is the best day for finding good flight deals. This was because major airlines would release mid-week dips in price, and the smaller airlines would follow suit. But as technology becomes more automated, these dips in price happen more randomly. No need to wait until a Tuesday to book your flights.

6. Set up tracking alerts

You can set up tracking alerts before booking your flights so you can keep a pulse on what’s a good deal.

But even after you purchase your flight, it’s a good idea to keep those tracking alerts on. This way, you’ll be notified if the flight you already paid for drops in price.

If you’ve booked a refundable or changeable ticket (see the next tip #7), you can cancel and rebook at the new, lower price.

7. Don’t book the most basic fare

But wait, wouldn’t that be the cheapest option?

Yes, but keep reading because there’s another factor you should consider…

With most airlines, booking seats the level above the most basic means they are changeable or refundable. So if you happen to find that the ticket you just purchased drops in price a few weeks from now (see previous tip #6), you can cancel and rebook.

Be sure to read the fine print of the specific airline you book with.

On the other hand, the most basic tickets are non-refundable, so if you find a cheaper flight, there’s not much you can do about it (or there will be fees involved with changing it).

There are some instances where booking the most basic fare is a good idea: aka you’re 100% committed to these dates or you’re pretty confident this is the cheapest fare you’ll find.

Good to know: Depending on the airline, you may get a refund when you cancel and rebook or you may get credit to use for a future flight.

Consider your baggage

Oftentimes with the most basic fare class (or on discount airlines like Spirit and Ryan Air) your baggage is not included in the ticket price. 

Sure, you can fly from Fort Lauderdale to Cartagena for $87, but you’ll be charged for every single bag you bring up to $65 at the gate for a carry-on size bag. So when you add in your 2 carry-on size bags, you’re looking at anywhere between an extra $74 – $130.

When you total it up, you could have flown the high fare class—with baggage, seats and other perks included—or a much nicer airline for the same price (and more leg room!).

→ Read Next: Check out our expert packing hacks to help you pack light every time!

Our advice: Compare the cost difference of the ticket types as well as other factors (such as the cost of luggage, seat assignments, etc.) to help you choose which one to purchase.

8. Use credit cards wisely

Note: This tip is most relevant for US citizens. Each country has their own regulations when it comes to credit cards, so this may vary depending on where in the world you live.

This tip is kind of a doozy because we could devote an entire article – nay, an entire BOOK – to going through how to use credit cards to your advantage when booking flights and hotels.

However, we’re going to keep it (relatively) concise in this tip and lay out where to start.

Important: This is NOT financial advice. We’re simply sharing some of the ways we use to credit cards to travel cheaper!

a) Take advantage of sign up bonuses

Keep up to date with current credit card sign up bonuses. Some of the best ones come around just once or twice a year. Mark them in your calendar so you can apply in time.

Sign up bonuses typically mean you will earn points if you spend a certain amount of money within the first few months of receiving your credit card. This can equate to free flights or hotel stays!

Budget tip: Before you sign up, ensure that it is an amount of money you can realistically spend. There’s not much point in spending more than you would normally in order to get the reward.

b) Consider other perks too

Some credit cards have other travel perks:

• free Global Entry and TSA pre-check
• lounge access
• annual travel credits
• credit and upgrades for specific hotel chains or car rental companies

Depending on how often you travel, these can be big bonuses and can save you even more money.

c) Transfer credit card points to airline programs

Here’s one way to make your points go even further…

It can be beneficial to transfer your points to a frequent flyer program (especially if you mainly fly with one airline).

For example, American Express partners with Delta Airlines so you can transfer your AmEx Membership Rewards points seamlessly to Delta SkyMiles.

d) Don’t forget about the annual fees

It can be easy to get distracted by the shiny sign up bonus and forget about that $700 annual fee (we speak from experience!).

Each year, weigh out the benefits you get from points and other perks to make sure the annual fee is worth it to you. If it’s not, be sure to cancel before the fee becomes due again.

→ There’s a lot more to be said on this subject. If this is something you’re interested in learning more about, check out our Travel Credit Cards Homepage where we share the top deals and which credit cards we actually use. 

9. Join a loyalty program – even if you don’t fly often!

Even if you don’t fly often with a specific airline, joining their free loyalty program is a no-brainer. Most programs let you earn miles on flights (and sometimes even on hotels, car rentals, or credit card spending), which can add up to free or discounted airfare over time.

Beyond earning miles, loyalty members often get perks like priority boarding, free seat selection, or waived baggage fees—sometimes even at the lowest fare class. And if a flight gets oversold, members are usually prioritized over non-members.

Our experience: We join the free loyalty programs for nearly every airline we fly with. Even in the cases where we’re not flying often and we have low miles, we’ve found we can use those few miles to book things like seat upgrades or inflight wifi packages, which saves us money in the long run. 

10. Travel in the off season

Traveling to Japan for cherry blossom season in the spring would be an incredible experience, but it won’t come cheap. Thousands of tourists from all over the world want to see the cherry blossoms too, so airfare is at peak prices (and so are hotels!).

If you’re looking to travel on a budget, going during the off-peak season will typically open you up to some great hotel deals and cheap flights. Plus, you won’t have to deal with the crowds you would at busier times.

→ Psst! Looking for travel inspiration? These epic bucket list trips will spark your wanderlust.

Fly in September or October

Did you know September and October are the cheapest months to fly? That’s because families are typically starting back at school, and traveling is not an option. The demand is low, and therefore so are the prices.

Airlines sometimes use this low-season to entice people to do their vacations before the crazy busy holiday season. Anyone want to go to Oktoberfest!? Seems to be the perfect time!

If your lifestyle offers the flexibility, September and October are the best months to find good flight deals.

Other cheap times to fly: January through mid-May is also typically a pretty inexpensive time to fly (with the exception of Spring Break locations!).

11. Check “all airports” for more options

Many major cities have multiple airports, and choosing the right one can make a big difference in both price and convenience. When searching for flights, always select the “All Airports” option for your destination to compare fares across different airports nearby.

For example, flying into Newark instead of JFK can sometimes save you hundreds on a trip to New York City. Similarly, budget airlines might fly into airports slightly outside major hubs (like London Gatwick instead of Heathrow) with significantly cheaper fares.

A little flexibility with your arrival airport can open up more options—and bigger savings!

Pro tip: Be sure to add in the cost of ground transportation to your final destination. ⤵️

Factor in the cost of transportation

A cheap flight isn’t always a great deal if the airport is far from your final destination. Budget airlines often use secondary airports that require pricey transfers—like London Stansted or Gatwick, which are both over an hour from the city center.

Before booking, factor in transportation costs and late-night arrival fees. If you’ll need a taxi at 1 a.m. because buses aren’t running, add that to your total price to see if it’s still the best deal!

12. Don’t forget about Southwest

Southwest offers a generous baggage allowance and often has great deals on domestic flights. But why don’t they show up when you look on Google Flights or Kayak? You’re not missing something: it’s because Southwest only shows their flights on their own website.

Sometimes they have much better deals than the rest of the airlines, so it is worth making the extra effort to check out.

Good to know: Southwest operates differently than most other airlines. They don’t assign seats, so you’ll board in groups based on check-in time—set a reminder to check in exactly 24 hours before your flight for the best spot. They also offer two free checked bags on every ticket, making them a great choice for travelers with lots of gear!

13. Book 2 separate flights

When you’re flying a long distance, pay attention to where your layovers are. It might be cheaper to book the legs separately.

For instance, this is a route we’ve flown often: Minneapolis to Bangkok

When we put that into the search bar, we can see there is a layover in Los Angeles, then again in Tokyo. Instead of booking it altogether, it is often cheaper to buy one flight from LAX to Bangkok. Then we’ll purchase a separate flight on a domestic airline from Minneapolis to LAX.

Things to consider

When you purchase flights separately, make sure you have a long enough layover. If you miss the second flight, the airline won’t be able to make the switch for you.

We typically go for at least 3-hour layovers just to be safe in case the first flight is delayed. And we are sure to get a travel insurance policy that covers missed flights!

Also, be sure you read up on both airlines’ baggage fees. If they both have fees, you will have to pay twice, and this might add up.

Our experience: This tactic has allowed us to find great deals when we were traveling on a tight budget. However, now that we have a bit more cushion in our budget, we do our best to book all the way through to avoid issues with delays or baggage. 

14. One way vs. round trip

When booking a flight, look up the prices separately for one-way and round trip. Sometimes one option is much cheaper. Many of the “mistake fares” are round trip because they are more complicated and airlines screw up on the final cost.

But one-way flights can be a good deal too. For example, if a red-eye route is flying from Chicago to New York because it needs to fly out early in the morning, the flight can be a lot cheaper. An empty plane costs a lot of money so airlines make it enticing to purchase.

Our experience: It used to be that we’d find a lot better deals with one way flights, but nowadays, it’s almost the opposite. When looking up recent long haul flights, the one-ways were almost the entire cost of the round trip flight! This is why it’s always good to check both options, and decide for yourself what makes the most sense. 

15. Sit near the gate

If your flight is overbooked and you’re flexible with your schedule, you could score free flight vouchers just by being in the right place at the right time.

Get to the gate early and sit near the desk. When the airline asks for volunteers to take a later flight, you’ll be first in line—compensation often includes flight vouchers, upgrades, or even a free hotel stay if you need to wait until the next day.

Our experience: We once volunteered on an oversold flight from LA to Tokyo and EACH received $800 in flight credit. The best part? Our new flight left just 90 minutes later, was direct, and got us to Bangkok earlier than originally planned! Some passengers ahead of us even got upgraded to first class.

Want to increase your chances? Overbooked flights are common on major cross-country or international routes (like LA to NYC or Tokyo) and during peak travel times like holidays or spring break. 

Pro tip: You can ask the gate agent directly if they’re looking for volunteers!

Final Thoughts: Consider if saving money is worth it

Sometimes cheap flights just aren’t worth it.

Consider all the factors like layovers, airline quality, total length of travel and arrival time before jumping on a small number.

Here’s an example of what I mean:

Before booking the cheapest flight you can find to Rome, think about how you will have a 7-hour layover in Amsterdam (not really enough to get out and explore the city). Then you arrive in Rome at 4:30 a.m. when the only way to get to your hotel is an overpriced taxi. And check-in at your hotel isn’t until 2 p.m., unless you book the previous night, of course.

So now you have a long layover, an overpriced taxi and an extra night at a hotel to consider. Is it really worth saving $100 on your flight?

In that case, my answer is hell no. I’d be happy paying $100 more for a nicer airline, a shorter layover, and a more convenient arrival time.

Know how much discomfort and inconvenience you are willing to endure for a good deal.

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Let us help you travel better…

Be sure to check out our Travel Planning Homepage for resources on everything you need to know about how to plan a trip, from packing to budgeting and more! Or you can read some of our favorite articles about planning your next trip below. 

• How to Plan a Trip in 10 Simple Steps
• Carry-On Packing List: What You Actually Need on a Flight
• Our Favorite Travel Essentials
• This is the one thing we NEVER travel without!
• Packing Hacks to Help You Pack Light Every Time
• Tips to Fight Jet Lag (that actually work!)
• How to Get Cell Service Abroad (without spending a fortune!)

→ Traveling as a family? Don’t miss our family travel articles!

What if the hard part was already done for you?

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We want to hear from you!

Have questions about booking cheap flights? Do you have any tips for finding cheap flights that we missed? Leave your comment below and we’ll do our best to get back to you!